A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.
—Proverbs 19:11
Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, but it is one of the hardest ones to cultivate. Christians are taught to love others, and on most days, we like to think we do a pretty good job. However, most of us also have one or two people in our lives who try our patience like no one else can.
Difficult people can take many forms. For some, it’s the fellow church member who perpetually complains and criticizes. Sometimes it’s the grandparent or elderly neighbor who seems fixated on how horrible the world is today. Sometimes it’s the child in your life who constantly throws tantrums or sulks, no matter what you do. Unfortunately, over time, these offenses toward us build until we can’t look at them without seeing a list of wrongdoings and shortcomings.
Today’s verse challenges us to go against human nature and forgive those offenses. In fact, the Word specifically states it is “to our glory” to overlook them. In other words, the more patient we are, the more Christ-like we become. The more Christ-like we become, the more we share in His glory on Earth and eventually in Heaven. Overlooking offenses is difficult, especially if the person needles you over and over. Yet, it is not impossible if you use the tools at your disposal.
Pray. Do it silently and quickly the minute the difficult person in your life starts needling you again. Pray specifically for patience, love and a change in both your hearts when you have more time.
Remind yourself and the other person of his or her good traits. This will help take your focus from offenses.
Ask the person if he or she has a prayer need. Sometimes difficult people act as they do because life isn’t going well.
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